Car accident police report is essential for a personal injury claim
If you have been injured in a car or truck crash, Berenson Injury Law will get the Texas car accident police report for you at no charge or obligation. Call us at 817-885-8000 (toll-free at 1-885-801-8585) or fill out this contact form.
The car accident police report is critical. How police report can make or break your case.
It contains all of the necessary information which enables you to process your claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company or with the court to enable you to recover your vehicle damage, medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages as fast as possible.
Without an independent car accident police report that a police officer can testify about in a court of law, your chances of getting paid can be hampered.
At your trial, it is often Exhibit A and the police officer who wrote it is your first witness. If he or she testifies in their police uniform that they investigated the crash, talked to all drivers and witnesses, and concluded that one person was at fault, the jury is going to believe them all or almost all of the time.
But without a report, you won’t know the name of the officer, and if you find out, he won’t remember your crash from the 10 others he worked that day or night.
Although they would remember the scene below, where our clients lost their husband and father in a horrific crash where a giant piece of highway construction equipment suddenly darted across an interstate highway.
When we get the report, we will immediately call or email you to discuss it. We will explain what the report says, find out more information about your collision and injuries, and give you an honest opinion about what we can do to help you. We will discuss fees and expenses. We will answer all of your questions and explain how the legal/medical/insurance system works.
You may be able to handle your claim yourself, especially if you and your passengers were fortunately not injured and are only needing to get your vehicle totaled or repaired. If this is the case, we will tell you what to do.
Again, all of this is at no charge to you. So it’s a win-win. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
Why do you do this?
We know that businesses – especially law firms – don’t give things away for free. So you might be skeptical. But after someone has been injured in a vehicle collision, they often lose their vehicle and are feeling tremendous pain. And even if this were not happening, the red tape of pursing an insurance claim can be overwhelming. Many people don’t know what to do. You really can’t get a good result on your case. They system is stacked against you if you are not a personal injury attorney, the way the medical system can be incomprehensible to the average person.
That keeps many folks from getting paid back for their vehicle damage, medical bills, lost wages, and other damages they sustain. We don’t think that’s fair.
Mr. Berenson thinks that giving out free car accident police reports helps people here in North Texas and he is happy to do it. He likes to help out. Here are some of his recent community service projects.
He never charges for his firm’s internal expenses that can add up to hundreds of dollars. Things like couriers and Federal Express deliveries, certified mailings, mileage, copies, and travel. And of course police reports. He is all about making his clients as much money as he can and also saving them as much as possible, which makes them even more money.
If you do not think you need a personal injury lawyer or want to handle your case yourself, we understand. There is absolutely no obligation to hire us.
Information everyone in a wreck should know
But of course we would like the opportunity to represent you and help out with what can become a nightmare if not handled correctly by a specialist.
How we get the police report
Berenson Injury Law primarily handles car, truck, 18-wheeler, motorcycle, and pedestrian crash cases. We represent injured people all over North Texas but also help those in other areas in our state and and occasionally in other states (although we prefer to refer them to local attorneys who can better serve them in other states).
Bill Berenson has specialized in car and truck accidents for over 40 years. His law firm has adopted highly efficient processes that enable us to quickly obtain vital information that helps our clients recover from their injuries and get the largest financial settlements.
We subscribe to several data bases so we can go online and get critical information that helps our clients instantly.
Can you get other legal documents that I will need?
Yes of course. That’s what we do. The police report is just the starting point. We also get the following documents and reports for our clients:
- 911 recordings
- Criminal histories, assets, and background checks on the other driver
- Texas Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety records
- Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s autopsies
- Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission reports (for DWI crashes)
- Tarrant County District Attorney documents
- Fort Worth Fire Department files
- Medstar and other ambulance reports
- National Transportation Safety Board reports
- National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports
- Commercial driver employment files
Why do you need a police report after you have been in a car accident
The police report will have the following information:
- Date and time
- Location
- All drivers with identifying information including their insurance companies and policy numbers
- Vehicles
- Speed limit
- Traffic control devices
- Intersection distance (if not at one)
- Property damage
- Injuries
- Ambulances
- Tow trucks
- Alcohol/drug case
- Criminal charges
- Admissions of fault by other driver
- Eyewitnesses
The officer will also state who they found to be at fault and which traffic laws were violated. That becomes critical in the resolution of the claim with the insurance company or the court and jury if you file a lawsuit. Otherwise, the trial can degenerate into a swearing match where each driver claims they were in the right and the jury is left to decide what to do.
Here is the code sheet if you have a report and are trying to decipher what the Factors and Conditions chart means on page two above means. In the above police report, a new case we are handling, the driver of a tractor-trailer (unit 1 and 2) violated #3 which means they “backed without safety” and seriously injured the driver in a small car behind them.
Finally, a good drawing establishes the position and direction of all vehicles, including all-important eyewitnesses (W in the map below), roads, traffic control devices, and other relevant scene information. This nails down liability so the at-fault driver cannot claim he was not negligent.
Can I get my own police report?
Yes. It can be hard to get, but if you want to turn down our free offer, you can get a copy in one of these ways.
- Online
Go to the Department of Transportation and click here. You will need on the identification number, names of drivers, your driver’s license number and vehicle identification number.
Or click on this link from the Fort Worth Police Department.
Note that it may take up to two weeks for the report to be downloaded unless you can to a faster data base.
2. In person or by mail
In Fort Worth – Fort Worth Police Department
Address: 1000 Calvert Street, Fort Worth 76102
Telephone: 817-392-4200
More information is on the FWPD’s web site.
In Dallas
Address: 1400 South Lamar, Dallas 75215
Telephone: 214-671-3001
Click on this link.
Also click on the DPD’s web site.
We can help you
If you have been injured in a car, pickup truck/SUV, or an 18-wheeler collision, you owe it to yourself to talk to a top Fort Worth car wreck lawyer. Mr. Berenson has represented thousands of injured people for over 40 years. He is a board certified specialist in personal injury law and only handles vehicle crash cases — not also medical malpractice, slip and falls, dangerous drugs, and other tort cases. And no, he does not get involved with divorces, criminal defense, wills, etc.
Pro tip: Whoever you hire, make sure he or she is a specialist in the field. We charge the same fee as non-specialists.
The first meeting (on the phone due to COVID-19 precautions) is free and we don’t get paid until you get paid.
Please contact us if we can help you.